Pa. detective's gun mistakenly fires during pursuit

Pittsburgh police are reviewing an incident in which they say an officer accidentally fired a gun while chasing a suspect

By Margaret Harding
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police are reviewing an incident in which they say an officer accidentally fired a gun while chasing a suspect in Crafton Heights, an official said on Tuesday.

Public safety spokeswoman Sonya Toler said Detective Martin Kail accidentally fired his gun when he fell while pursuing a suspect on foot about 9:40 p.m. May 21 in the 1400 block of Crucible Street.

No one was hurt.

"No one was shot, no one was injured," Toler said.

She did not know what prompted Kail, a member of the narcotics and vice squad, to chase after the suspect.

Toler said the suspect was not apprehended.

Supervisors were notified of the incident and arrived at the scene, she said.

Kail was hired in 2007, records show.

Officer Howard McQuillan, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge No. 1, the labor union that represents city police officers, declined to comment.

Last week, police said they were increasing the number of patrol officers and narcotics detectives in the West End neighborhoods in response to three shootings on May 18. One was fatal, on Allendale Street in Sheraden.